woodguy
Well-Known Member
It took way too long for me to get in my 1st 100 miles, but I wanted to wait until now to post a report because I had so much to learn. I hope to hear from other new Cruzbikers on their experience because I am sure there are still things I am missing. I ordered my Q45 on day 1, and received it within a week of ordering. A combination of life getting in the way, and a Wisconsin winter that wouldn't quit is the reason I have been slow to get to this point.
ASSEMBLY: Cruzbike says a novice should take about 2 - 3 hours, and an experienced bike mechanic 30 minutes to assemble. I thought I was somewhere in between those two points, but it took me more than 3 hours. The video and instructions are very helpful, but things don't always go as planned. If I put another one together right now I could probably do it in half the time. I appreciated the information from Cruzbike on a couple of mistakes made at the factory, and they clearly explained how to correct. Tip - if you get the touring and commuting rack, watch, but don't try to follow the instructions in the video on the website. It won't go together like that. I had to get creative to make it fit, but now that it is on, I really like it.
PRACTICE: I have been reading the forum regularly, and was convinced by the constant repetition from folks emphasizing the importance of following the "learn to ride" exercises. Lots of figure 8's, and attempts at starting from a dead stop. I can now add my voice to the refrain. It was valuable to get adjusted slowly because this is a whole new way of riding a bike. I didn't want to get anywhere near traffic for at least my first 20 miles, and then I mostly just went to my local bike trail for another 20 miles.
ROAD WORK: I think because I was diligent about the practice, when I did get out on the road, things went better than I expected. Every ride gets more comfortable. I have a favorite 20 mile loop I have done near home for the past few years because it has a combination of hills & flats, and not too much traffic. I like to challenge myself to improve my time on that course, and I am happy to report that on my 2nd trip with the Q45, I logged my best ever time. I am not a racer, so a personal best is reward enough.
LESSONS I HAVE LEARNED: There are a few things I learned that I don't remember reading anywhere. I may have just missed them, but I hope others can make good use of these when they are learning.
1. Starting from a dead stop - this is of course most difficult to do when all of the cars on the road have stopped and are watching you try to cross the road on the bike path! The thing I have learned is to get in the lowest gear when approaching anything that may cause you to stop. It is so much easier to get going from that low gear without swerving all over, and it is worth the inconvenience of downshifting even if you might not need to stop if no traffic is coming.
2. High speed wobble - I don't have to worry about this a lot, but I do get some downhills which will get me over 30 mph. I have read about others who have wobble problems at higher speeds, but my solution is to just stop pedaling. The worst thing is when I spin the crank trying to put pressure on the pedal unsuccessfully. That introduces wobble. Just enjoy the speed with no work.
POSSIBLE FUTURE UPDATES TO MY Q45:
*One of my biggest concerns before purchase was the 1 x 11 gearing structure. Would the lowest gear be low enough to let me get up my steepest hills. So far I have had no trouble there. On the other end, would the highest gear be enough to keep me going as fast as I would like. On that, the jury is still out. There have been a number of times I go looking for a bigger gear and there is nothing left. I am doing the Biking Across Kansas ride in June, and I will probably be able to make a decision after that whether to put a front derailleur on.
*Clip in pedals are much more likely to get done before the Kansas ride. I have used them with my LWB recumbent, but thought I would wait until I got comfortable on the Q45. I think I am there. From what I have read on the forum, the consensus seems to be Frogs. Let me know if you feel differently.
*I have found the standard seat to be more comfortable than anything I have had before, but I read a lot about the Ventisit pad on the Thor seat on the forum. I will probably see how thing go in Kansas before making that decision.
Thanks for reading this, and thanks for all the great information on the forum that got me to this point. Hope to see some of you out on the road somewhere.
